Man’s Problem and God’s Solution

Men love darkness, and the reason for this is that their deeds are evil (Jn 3:19). It is the deceiver who convinces a man that he is a good person, but the truth is that no one is good (Rom 3:12), except God (Mk 10:18). It is the deceiver who convinces a man that his works are good, but the truth is that every man’s works are filthy rags (Is 64:6). Because Satan has blinded the minds of people (2 Cor 4:4), men walk through life in futility (Eph 4:17), believing in human wisdom taught to them by the spirit of the world (1 Cor 2:12–13). Like their father, the devil (Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10), people take pride in their sins, parading themselves, beating their chests, flexing their biceps, shaking their heads, in their claims to be the best.

In their quest to be like deity — a temptation of Satan (Gen 3:5) — men judge one another by outward appearances (1 Sam 16:7). If they were to look upon the heart, as God alone is able to do, they would find the human heart more deceitful than all else and desperately sick (Jer 17:9). They would see that the inclination of the heart is only evil, all the time (Gen 6:5).

Being deceived by Satan, it is natural for men to be deceivers (Rom 3:4). Therefore, the enemy of deception is the truth. God is true, and His revelation of Himself is truth (Jn 14:6; 17:17). Therefore, man is at enmity with God (Rom 5:10), as are the demons, being minions of their leader, Satan. The adversary inspires men to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18). They willfully comply.

Unrighteousness is the legal position of every soul conceived in the human line of Adam, the first man and federal head of humanity (Rom 5:12–21). Adam and his entire progeny are under the judgment and wrath of God (Rom 1:18–32). This is because of original sin, and the practice of sinning derived from one’s sin nature (Eph 2:3), a product of the fall of man (Gen 3). This is what makes man so susceptible to the devil’s deceptions. If men love darkness, then the devil is the prince of darkness, having dominion (Acts 26:18).

The body of man is a body of sin, and the soul of man is a spirit which is dead to God because it is dead in sin (Eph 2:1, 12). The wages of original sin is a dead soul from conception. The wages of sin bring death to all flesh. The physical body is a body of death because of sin (Rom 8:10).

Sinners love the flesh. They over feed it. They intoxicate it. They defile it. They cut it, pierce it, and put graffiti on it. The body stinks, and so man is compelled to wash it, perfume it, dress it, and decorate it. Beauty is temporary. It fades as youth is lost and death looms.

Ungodly sinners wait for the Day of God’s judgment — eating, drinking, and attempting to be merry. They are, however, hopeless and without God in the world (Eph 2:12). Being deceived, men turn to worship the creature rather than their Creator. They forge trophies and statues of gold, to which they declare, “Behold, you are our god.” They give awards to one another, building memorial shrines and museums to those who have died and gone to their appointed judgment (Heb 9:27).

O wretched man, who can deliver you from the vanity that so easily, encompasses you? Who has the wisdom and power to deliver you from the wrath to come (Mt 3:7; Lk 3:7; 1 Cor 1:24; 1 Thess 1:10)? Have you not heard? Is it not written? Have you neglected so great a salvation?

There is only one name under heaven, given among men, whereby a man must be saved (Acts 4:12). This is the salvation that belongs to God (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1). Its terms are written for all men to consider, as testament of God’s will (Eph 1:11).

The Bible is the will and testament of God, enacted upon the death of the testator, Jesus Christ (Heb 9:16). This is the Word of God (Heb 4:12), revealing the will of God, from His eternal purpose carried out in Jesus Christ (Eph 3:11), and in fulfillment of God’s predetermined plan (Acts 2:23), wherein God, in His eternal decree has predestined some of Adam’s fallen race (Eph 1:5, 11), to be reconciled to God (Rom 5:10–11; 2 Cor 5:18–20).

Reconciliation is made a reality through the redemption of Christ (Lk 1:68; 24:21; 1 Cor 1:30; Eph 1:7), the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sins (Jn 1:29) of the people He came to save (Mt 1:21) — people from all over the world (1 Jn 2:2) — from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev 5:9; 7:9).

In this, God has sent His Spirit into the world (Jn 14:26; 15:26), even as He had sent His only begotten Son (Jn 3:16), who was enfleshed (Jn 1:14), yet without sin (Heb 4:15). One purpose of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin (Jn 16:8), to call all men everywhere to repent of their sins and rebellion against God (Acts 17:30).

The Spirit of God fills the appointed preacher (Lk 1:15; Acts 2:4; 4:18, 31; 20:28), who proclaims Jesus Christ (Col 1:28) and the Gospel of salvation (Rom 1:16; Eph 1:13). It is the Spirit of truth (Jn 16:13; 2 Thess 3:17), who is preaching the Word of truth (Jn 17:17), which sets them free (Jn 8:32), by causing them to be born again (1 Pet 1:3), and opening their ears to hear the voice of their Good Shepherd (Ps 95:7; Jn 10:3, 16, 27).

The Spirit baptizes those whom God has chosen to adopt as sons (Mt 3:11; Rom 8:15, 23; Eph 1:5). It is by His doing that we are positioned in Christ (1 Cor 1:30), having been transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col 1:13), being called out from darkness, into His marvelous light (1 Pet 2:9). The elect saint receives Christ, by the free will of God (Jn 1:12–13), having been made alive by the Spirit (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13), who grants repentance (Acts 5:31) and faith (Phil 1:29), according to the kind intention of His will and gracious choice (Rom 11:5; Eph 1:5).

Despite the Spirit’s ongoing work of sanctification (Rom 15:16; 1 Cor 6:11; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Thess 2:13), God’s remnant people, His church (Mt 16:18; Eph 5:23, 25), the Israel of God (Gal 6:16), is justified before God, our righteous Judge (Rom 3:24, 28; 5:9; 2 Tim 4:8), with an alien, imputed righteousness belonging to Jesus Christ, the Lord, our righteousness (Jer 23:6).

Friend, you are called to repent and believe in Christ, trusting Him, alone, to accomplish what concerns you (Ps 57:2; 138:8). Your problem is sin, leading to death (Rom 3:23; 6:23), leading to judgment (Heb 9:27), leading to eternal punishment in hell and the lake of fire (Mt 25:46; Jude 1:7; Rev 20:14–15).

May today be the day of salvation (Ex 14:13), a day in which you hear His voice (Ps 95:7; Heb 3:7), calling you to come and follow Him (Mt 11:28), in whom there is life abundant and eternal (Jn 6:27; 10:28; 17:2). Take up your cross and crucify your self-righteousness, knowing that this is His will and His work (Phil 2:13), to the saving of each elect soul, prepared as a vessel of mercy and for glory (Rom 9:23).

Now to Him who chose us, adopted us, redeemed us, called us, graced us with repentance and faith, justified us, sanctified us, and who will glorify us on the day of His return, for the resurrection of the dead (Jn 5:25–29)…to Him be the glory, for the many great things He has done. Amen.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

November 15, 2022